1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scavengers. The present invention particularly relates to scavengers useful for treating crude oil and hydrocarbons.
2. Background of the Art
In the drilling, completions, production, transport, storage, and processing of crude oil and natural gas, including waste water associated with crude oil and gas production, and in the storage of residual fuel oil, mercaptans are often encountered. The presence of mercaptans is objectionable because they often react with other hydrocarbons or fuel system components. Another reason that the mercaptans are objectionable is that they are often highly corrosive. Still another reason that mercaptans are undesirable is that they have highly noxious odors. The odors resulting from mercaptans are detectable by the human nose at comparatively low concentrations and are well known. For example, mercaptans are used to odorize natural gas and used as a repellant by skunks and other animals.
Hydroquinones are known to be useful as mercaptans scavengers. They are used, for example, with a basic solution to catalyze the oxidation of mercaptans to disulfides to regenerates solvents used for mercaptans exactions from crude oil. Even though hydroquinones have been widely used, their use has not been trouble free. For example, the hydroquinones require both a basic solution, such as caustic, and oxygen to be effective.
It would be desirable in the art to scavenge mercaptans using a composition that requires neither oxygen nor a strong base to be effective.